There are different
types of worship. When someone worships a god, they praise him or her, making
offerings and ask for favours, believing that the god will hear their praise,
receive their offerings and answer their prayers. Buddhists do not indulge
in this kind of worship. The other kind of worship is when we show respect
to someone or something we admire. When a teacher walks into a room we stand
up, when we meet a dignitary we shake hands,when the national anthem is
played we salute. These are all gestures of respect and worship and indicate
our admiration for persons and things. This is the type of worship Buddhist
practise. A statue of the Buddha with its hands rested gently in its lap
and its compassionate smile reminds us to strive to develop peace and love
within ourselves. The perfume of incense reminds us of the pervading influence
of virtue, the lamp reminds us of light of knowledge and the flowers which
soon fade and die, reminds us of impermanence. When we bow, we express our
gratitude to the Buddha for what his teachings have given us. This is the
nature of Buddhist worship.